The article is great. Please check it out if you get a chance. Granted, it told me about some sources that I already know about (Craigslist, Ikea, garage sales) but it also recommended shopping for old treasures at relatives houses. Such a great idea! But somehow I had never considered it. Being far from home it's not currently an option for me, but the next time my roommate visits her parents I think I'll tag along.
Aside from the suggestions offered in this article, I thought I'd throw in a few of my own:
DIY: Of course. Over the last year of trying to make my money stretch as far as possible and, at one point, actually considering and attempting to build my own couch, I've found that DIY home projects either turn out great and they become your own personal hell. So I'll begin with the cautionary tale:
With the couch that I tried to build I decided to start with a wooden twin bed frame and mattress. The idea was to create something that could easily be transformed from a couch to a bed without having to pay big bucks for something like it at Ikea. Only after I bought the twin mattress and base off of Craigslist (for about $40) did I realize I was never going to complete this project. Even though creating a backboard and firm pillows for the bed had seemed like a quick and cost effective alternative, the actual supplies and labor ended up being too much for someone who was going to school full time, working, and didn't have a car to pick up supplies. I know, what was I thinking?
Needless to say, I ended up having a twin bed in my living room for a good six months; a good alternative to sitting on the ground but certainly not a couch.
So I guess the moral of he story is this: DIY is great, but know your boundaries and make a price inclusive list of supplies before buying anything. If you know you're the type of person who use one of your days off to sand and cut and paint to your little heart's desire, then take on one of those big scary projects. My mom is one of these people. She always has something in the front in the midst of being transformed. I admire that. I myself usually opt for the lighter projects. I think a lot of us are impatient and want quick results, so a project that can be finished in a day or less is our best bet.
Some projects for us impatient (and perhaps eternally broke like myself) boys and gals to consider:
Simple Displays
this can range from using small hooks to display a teacup collection in the kitchen to re-purposing old wire hangers on your wall as record or book displays to something as simple as using wire or fish line with colorful clothes pins to display postcards or photographs. I've personally done all three of these and they each took less than an hour to complete.
Sewing projects
I recently purchased a tiny sewing machine (pictured below) and taught myself how to use it. It was under $30 on Amazon and it's more than paid for itself. Having some kind of sewing machine, no matter how small or inexpensive, will make a huge difference when it comes to making things for your apartment. One of the cheapest ways to spruce up a space is to add really bold window treatments. The Goodwill always has a large selection of sheets and fabric that are reasonable and easily transformed into curtains. Throw pillows are another expensive item that can be made for very cheap. Aside from using fabric, old pillow cases, or leftovers from your sheet curtains, pillows can be made from sweaters and old shirts. Remember that old sweater in your closet that you love to touch but makes you look like a powder puff? Why not make a pillow out of it?
This is my dinky little sewing machine which, as you can see, I can easily hold with one hand. If you're interested in buying one like it click on the photo.
In the next couple of weeks I'll be posting tutorial videos for a few of the projects I've mentioned above (including the record display, clothespin picture line, and sweater pillows). I'm waiting for a digital camera to arrive in the mail since my old camera is no more. I hope this is helpful to some of you and if you have any ideas you'd like to share, please feel free to post them as comments!
xSP
